BY MAUREEN MARIE BELMONTE

Neil likewise bagged other special awards during the Finals night last September 7 namely: Best in Swimwear and Most Photogenic. He also took home several sponsored awards such as the Mr. Unisilver and Mr. Informatics, as well as the Mr. Multidestination Global Link Travel award.

The 29-year-old police officer, who had been a crowd favorite after gaining attention from the media due to his good looks and profession, bested 26 other candidates and made it to the Top 15 early in the competition.

Neil will be leaving for South Korea in October to represent the Philippines at the Mister International pageant in Seoul.

It was last month when netizens went abuzz after Police Officer 2 Mariano Perez Flormata, Jr. or “Neil Perez” from the Philippine National Police’s Aviation Security Group joined the competition.

In a statement, PNP expressed its support for Neil and noted his being a "model" for other officers. “Promoting the healthy lifestyle of the PNP personnel, PO2 Flormata serves as a model to all police officers who want to be fit and healthy while protecting our community from different crimes,” the PNP statement said.

According to the PNP, Neil, a BS Criminology graduate from the Manuel L. Quezon University-Manila, has been in the police force for almost six years now/